Mnuchin Skirted Ethics Rules As He Worked On China Deal That Could Aid Wife's Company
Source: Huff Post
04/06/2019 12:24 am ET
After he was nominated as treasury secretary, he transferred film company holdings to his fiancée, whom he married a month later.
By Mary Papenfuss
The Office of Government Ethics refused to certify Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s 2018 financial disclosure statement over a sleight-of-hand arrangement involving his stake in a film production company. In 2017, he transferred his holdings in Stormchaser Partners to its founder, Louise Linton, then gained them back when they married a month later.
Now Mnuchin is revising his federal ethics pledge to recuse himself from any decisions that could benefit the company, which the ethics office says puts him back “in compliance.” However, he has continued to work on a trade deal with China that includes expanded access for the movie industry, The New York Times reported Thursday.
“I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on my imputed financial interest in Stormchaser Partners,” Mnuchin wrote in a letter Wednesday to the assistant general counsel of the Treasury Department. He said Stormchaser didn’t currently own or have an interest in any international films.
Treasury Department spokesman Tony Sayegh said Mnuchin has “no conflicts of interest that would limit his participation in ongoing China talks.”
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Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mnuchin-ethic-violation-financial-disclosure_n_5ca7e8d4e4b0a00f6d3fcf0c
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... it's par for any Chump appointee. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is probably a "3" while people like Scott Pruitt, Rex Tillerson, Betsy DeVos, Jared Kushner, and Chump himself are all "9"s and "10"s.
